Losing weight is as simple as making healthier choices in your food and activity schedules. If asked, most people can tell you the healthy foods they should eat. So why can it be so hard to make those choices? Fat gain and obesity didn’t happen overnight. It took you a while to get to your current weight. Your body has allowed the weight tolerance to increase until it no longer can view it as a crisis; it becomes baseline. But you become keenly aware that some areas of your body aren’t functioning at top capacity. Has your breathing become more labored or does your heart rate stay increased for longer than it should after mild exercise? Are you experiencing low energy levels? These are signs your body isn’t keeping up.
So the simple answer is: eat fewer calories than you burn in a day. Consistently. And your body will lose the fat in the some way you gained it. 3500 Calories equals one pound. If you eat 3500 calories more than you need in a week, you gain one pound. If you eat 3500 calories less than you need in a week, you will lose one pound.
Fat loss is extremely important if you suffer from obesity. And the following steps will definitely help you lose fat fast:
- Keep a food and activity journal 1 to 2 weeks before starting- Your best path for success is to measure your current food and activity status. Include calories in your food log. If you have a Fitbit, their app has wonderful tools to track both food calories and activity. When you see where you are now, you can plan better goals for your future to lose fat fast. When you get your base line, your goal will be to double your activity level daily and decrease your average calorie intake by 33% (or one-third). For example, if you are averaging 2200 calories a day, your new calorie goal will be around 1475 daily.
- Intermittent fasting- Intermittent fasting is a type of diet where an individual cycles between patterns of fasting and eating. Intermittent fasting benefits include: weight loss, insulin resistance, inflammation reduction, and anti-aging benefits. The 16:8 method of intermittent fasting for fat loss can give your liver the 12 hours it needs to exhaust its glycogen stores and so your body can begin breaking down fats and lose fat fast. Research suggests that your body will move to your fat stores more quickly and keep more muscle. Keeping muscle is essential because one pound of muscle takes up less space than one pound of fat. The 16:8 method allows you to eat your calorie allotment within 8 hours of your day, like between 11 am and 7 pm. Do not consume calories in the other 16 hours, but water is permissible.
- Walk 30 minutes a day- The singular health benefits of walking 30 minutes a day are tremendous. 30 minutes of sustained moderate walking will keep your heart rate in its fat loss zone to lose fat fast. Walking can decrease your blood pressure and increase heart health. It can decrease the need for diabetic medications. It increases your energy levels and overall outlook on life. If you’re not already doing 30 minutes of activity daily, this is a necessary step.
- Meditate and Visualize with intent daily- Meditation is important to relieve stress which can decrease cortisol levels, a stress hormone that makes losing belly fat harder. A simple visualization exercise to lose fat fast is to sit someplace quiet, close your eyes, relax your body, and simply sit. Let your stream of thought move through like water and don’t follow any particular thought, just acknowledge it and let it go. Once your mind has become quiet, you will then visualize yourself in the future in your thinner, healthier version of you. You will experience how it feels to be thinner. What are you now able to do? See yourself making healthier food and activity choices. Know and believe this version of you will exist.
- Healthier food choices- According to research consensus, the Mediterranean diet is the healthiest especially for heart health. It allows fruits and vegetables for fiber and all the antioxidants they offer. Healthy fats available in olive oil, canola oil, and Omega-3’s available in fish like salmon. Seeds, nuts, and beans for their protein. Whole grains for fiber. And also allows for a glass of wine a day for the healthful tannin. (If you don’t drink alcohol, you don’t have to add it.) You can eat meats, but not in large quantities. Limit added sugars and processed foods.
Following these steps will help you lose fat fast and make new habits for a healthier, thinner YOU!
Learn More about The BROX Plan: Intermittent Fasting For Weight Loss and Healthy Living